Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A method, comprising: determining whether a first network element with which a second network element is attempting to establish an adjacency is a client type element; if the first network element is determined to be a client type element, determining whether the first and second network elements are in a same network area; if the first network element is a client type element and the first and second network elements are determined to be in the same network area, establishing the adjacency; and determining whether the first network element comprises an inter-area forwarder (IAF).
A method for setting up network connections involves checking if a device (first network element) trying to connect to another device (second network element) is a "client type" device. If it is, the method verifies if both devices are on the same local network area. If both conditions are met (client type and same area), a direct connection (adjacency) is established between them. After the connection, the method checks if the client device has an "inter-area forwarder" (IAF), which helps route traffic between different network areas.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein if the first network element comprises the IAF, the method further comprises processing a message from the IAF and sending inter-area routes and intra-area routes to the IAF.
The method described above further handles the case where the client device *does* have an IAF. If the client has an IAF, the method processes any messages received from this IAF. Then, it sends both intra-area (local) routing information and inter-area (external) routing information specifically to that IAF, helping it make routing decisions. This allows devices with IAFs to participate in routing across different network areas.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein if the first network element does not comprise the IAF, the method further comprises processing host routes from the first network element and sending routes pointing to a particular IAF.
Building on the base method, if the client device *does not* have an IAF, the method processes routing information specific to the hosts connected to that client. Instead of sending full routing tables, the method sends specific routes (either subnet routes or default routes) to a designated IAF. These routes indicate that traffic for certain destinations should be forwarded to that particular IAF for further handling, essentially using the IAF as a gateway for traffic originating from the client.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the routes pointing to the particular IAF comprise default routes.
In the scenario where the client device doesn't have an IAF, the method sends routes to a particular IAF. The routes sent to the IAF are *default routes*. This means that all traffic from the client device destined for outside its local network is directed to that IAF, which then handles the routing to the appropriate destination.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the routes pointing to the particular IAF comprise subnet routes.
In the scenario where the client device doesn't have an IAF, the method sends routes to a particular IAF. The routes sent to the IAF are *subnet routes*. This means that traffic from the client device destined for a specific subnet outside its local network is directed to that IAF, which then handles the routing to the appropriate destination.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein if the first network element is a client type element and the first and second network elements are determined to be in different network areas, the method further comprises prohibiting the adjacency from being established.
Expanding on the base method, if the client device is indeed a "client type" device, but it's determined that the client and the other device are *not* in the same local network area, the method explicitly *prevents* a direct connection (adjacency) from being established. This prevents clients from directly connecting across different network areas, enforcing a network segmentation policy.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: determining whether the first and second network elements are in different network areas; and establishing an adjacency between the first and second network elements.
The method also includes a separate path for connecting devices in *different* network areas. It checks if the first and second network devices are in different areas. If they are, it proceeds to establish a direct connection (adjacency) between the two devices, regardless of whether one is a client type.
8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising: exchanging inter-area routes and replacing original nexthops in routing tables of the first and second network elements with IAFs.
Continuing from the previous claim, when the connection is established between devices in different areas, the method exchanges routing information between them *for inter-area traffic*. Importantly, the original "next hop" addresses in the routing tables of both devices are replaced with the address of an IAF (Inter-Area Forwarder). This ensures that all inter-area traffic is routed through the designated IAF for proper handling and control.
9. Logic encoded in one or more non-transitory tangible media that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor is operable to perform operations comprising: determining whether a first network element with which a second network element is attempting to establish an adjacency is a client type element; if the first network element is determined to be a client type element, determining whether the first and second network elements are in a same network area; if the first network element is a client type element and the first and second network elements are determined to be in the same network area, establishing the adjacency; and determining whether the first network element comprises an inter-area forwarder (IAF).
Computer-executable instructions stored on a storage medium, when run by a processor, perform a network connection setup. It involves checking if a device (first network element) trying to connect to another device (second network element) is a "client type" device. If it is, it verifies if both devices are on the same local network area. If both conditions are met, a direct connection is established. The instructions then check if the client device has an "inter-area forwarder" (IAF) to help route traffic between different network areas.
10. The logic of claim 9 , the operations further comprising, wherein if the first network element comprises the IAF, processing a message from the IAF and sending inter-area routes and intra-area routes to the IAF.
The computer instructions from above further handle the case where the client device *does* have an IAF. If so, the instructions process any messages received from this IAF. Then, they send both intra-area and inter-area routing information specifically to that IAF, enabling it to make routing decisions for traffic across different network areas.
11. The logic of claim 9 , the operations further comprising, wherein if the first network element does not comprise the IAF, processing host routes from the first network element and sending to subnet routes or default routes pointing to a particular IAF.
Expanding on the computer instructions from above, if the client device *does not* have an IAF, the instructions process routing information specific to the hosts connected to that client. They then send either subnet routes or default routes pointing to a designated IAF. These routes indicate that traffic should be forwarded to that particular IAF for further handling, acting as a gateway.
12. The logic of claim 9 , the operations further comprising, wherein if the first network element is a client type element and the first and second network elements are determined to be in different network areas, prohibiting the adjacency from being established.
Expanding on the base computer instructions, if the client device is indeed a "client type" device, but it's determined that the client and the other device are *not* in the same local network area, the instructions explicitly *prevent* a direct connection from being established. This prevents client connections across different network areas.
13. The logic of claim 9 further comprising, the operations further comprising determining whether the first and second network elements are in different network areas and if so, establishing an adjacency between the first and second network elements.
The computer instructions also include a separate path for connecting devices in *different* network areas. The instructions check if the first and second network devices are in different areas. If they are, they proceed to establish a direct connection between the two devices, regardless of whether one is a client type.
14. The logic of claim 13 , the operations further comprising: exchanging inter-area routes and replacing original nexthops in routing tables of the first and second network elements with IAFs.
Continuing from above, when the computer instructions establish a connection between devices in different areas, they exchange routing information between them *for inter-area traffic*. The original "next hop" addresses in the routing tables of both devices are replaced with the address of an IAF (Inter-Area Forwarder). This ensures all inter-area traffic is routed through the designated IAF.
15. An apparatus comprising: a memory element configured to store data; a processor operable to execute instructions associated with the data; and an area awareness module operable to interface with the memory element and the processor such that the apparatus is configured to: determine whether a first network element with which a second network element is attempting to establish an adjacency is a client type element; determine whether the first and second network elements are in a same network area, if the first network element is determined to be a client type element; establish the adjacency, if the first network element is a client type element and the first and second network elements are determined to be in the same network area; and determine whether the first network element comprises an inter-area forwarder (IAF).
A network device includes memory, a processor, and a module for managing network areas. This "area awareness module" configures the device to check if a device attempting to connect is a "client type". If it is, it checks if both devices are on the same local network. If so, it establishes a direct connection. Finally, the device checks if the client device has an "inter-area forwarder" (IAF).
16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the apparatus is further configured to: process a message from the IAF and send inter-area routes and intra-area routes to the IAF if the first network element comprises the IAF.
The network device, as described above, is further configured to handle the case where the connecting client device *does* have an IAF. The device will process messages from the IAF and send both intra-area (local) and inter-area (external) routing information to that IAF, helping it to make correct forwarding decisions.
17. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the apparatus is further configured to: process host routes from the first network element and send routes pointing to a particular IAF if the first network element does not comprise the IAF.
The network device, as described above, is further configured to handle the case where the connecting client device *does not* have an IAF. The device will process host routes from the client and send routes pointing to a specific IAF. These routes indicate that traffic from the client should be routed to that specific IAF.
18. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the apparatus is further configured to: determine whether the first and second network elements are in different network areas, and if so, establish an adjacency between the first and second network elements.
The network device also determines if the first and second network elements are in different network areas and, if so, establishes a network adjacency between the first and second network elements, allowing inter-area communication to proceed.
19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the apparatus is further configured to: exchange inter-area routes and replace original nexthops in routing tables of the first and second network elements with IAFs.
When the network device establishes an adjacency between devices in different areas, it exchanges routing information about inter-area routes. It then modifies the routing tables by replacing the "next hop" for these routes with the address of an Inter-Area Forwarder (IAF). This forces inter-area traffic through the IAF.
20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the apparatus comprises one of a leaf switch, a spine switch, and a route reflector (RR), and wherein the second network element comprises an RR.
In the method from claim 15, the apparatus (the area-aware network device) is a leaf switch, a spine switch, or a route reflector (RR). The second network element (the device attempting to connect to the area-aware device) is an RR (route reflector). This clarifies that the area-awareness logic can be implemented in different types of network switches within a data center fabric, and it often interacts with route reflectors to manage network topology.
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October 14, 2014
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